Sliders
by Spydurwebb
Summary: In Ordinary World, Four slipped into a different universe and decided to walk the slow path with Sarah, but that leaves ripples and consequences in both universes. Those consequences finally catch up with them. The Eleventh Doctor also features.
1. Prologue  Setting the Stage

SLIDERS – a sequel to ORDINARY WORLD

PROLOGUE – Setting the Stage:

DECEMBER 2010

Sarah headed downstairs to make tea, knowing the smell would eventually rouse the Doctor from his sleep. As she got to the kitchen, Luke was already there, munching on a piece of toast. 'Morning, Mum,' he mumbled around bites.

'Morning Luke. How long have you been up?'

'Not long. Dad still asleep?' Sarah nodded silently as she poured herself some tea. Luke continued, 'He's been doing a lot of that lately. Sleeping more than normal, I mean. Last three months, based on my calculations, he's sleeping an average of ten hours a night. That's not normal for a Time Lord.'

Sarah frowned, Luke had just put his finger on the one thing that had been bothering her. 'I know. He's been in that body a long time, relatively speaking. Maybe it's just a factor of aging, just like with humans.' She tried to sound reassuring, not wanting to upset Luke, even though she knew more than she was letting on. 'Seen your sister this morning?'

Luke shook his head. 'No, was she supposed to be here?'

'She said she was coming in early for Christmas. I figured she'd be here already.'

'Well, Andy runs on her own time schedule. It's like she's in another world sometimes.'

Sarah laughed, 'Well that is her nature, certainly.'

~!~!~

Luke gave the Doctor a quick hug and kissed Sarah on the cheek before heading quickly out.

Sarah walked over to the doorway, making sure he was gone before she turned back to where the Doctor was now sitting in Luke's chair at the table. She walked over to sit across from him, allowing her hand to brush across his shoulder as she passed by. 'We're going to need to tell him at some point, Doctor.' She paused a moment. 'Andy should be home any time now for the Christmas holiday. We really should tell them both at the same time.'

The Doctor frowned, before reaching across the table to cover Sarah's hand with his. 'Nonsense, Sarah. We have plenty of time. No need to worry them before it's strictly necessary.'

Sarah turned her hand in order to squeeze his. 'Doctor, we know what's happening, how much time do we really have left?'

~!~!~

The Doctor turned and wrapped his arms around Sarah. 'It could be three to six months, but it could easily be another five years or more. I honestly have no idea.' He rested his chin on the top of her head. 'This is all new to me as well, Sarah. I've only grown old and regenerated due to old age once before, but even the circumstances then were different. I was travelling extensively and the wear out happened faster than even I expected at the time.'

Sarah looked up at him. 'If I knew that I had three to six months to live, would you want to know?'

He looked down at her, surprise radiating from his expression. 'Sarah, is there something you haven't told me?'

'No, I'm trying to make a point. If it were me, you would want to know, and you would insist we tell Andy and Luke. They know you're not human and Luke has noticed your increased sleep habits the last couple of months. The Bane made him extremely intelligent and he's putting the pieces together. Andy's always known something would happen, and I think she has an idea with that slight bit of telepathy she has. Did you see the way she watched you last time she was here? Do you want them to just figure it out, then be hurt and disappointed because we weren't honest with them, or should we sit them down together and explain what's going on, so they're not surprised?'

~!~!~!~

The Doctor led Sarah by the hand to sit on one of the nearby benches. 'Sarah, I've done some thinking, and I wanted to talk to you about it. In here, away from everyone and everything.'

Her stomach knotted again, but she simply nodded.

His fingers absently traced a pattern along the back of her hand as he simply stared down at them, still marvelling how perfectly they fit together after all these years. 'Sarah, when we discussed my taking the slow path with you, we knew there would be sacrifices, and we agreed to them.'

'That by you essentially stopping travelling, you cut your exposure to the vortex.'

The Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly. 'Time Lords feed off the energy of the time vortex. By limiting my access to it, I've essentially cut the life span of this body exponentially through the years.'

'You said you couldn't promise how long we'd have,' Sarah's voice was barely above a whisper. 'We've had almost thirty years.'

'I think I've found a way around it.'

At that, Sarah's head snapped around to look at him. 'Are you serious?' His megawatt smile instantly calmed her. 'You are serious!'

'The reason I don't want to say anything to the children is that it might not be necessary. It might be, but I just can't be sure just yet.'

~!~!~!~

She made her way up to the attic, and even before she walked in, she could hear rattles and bangs that reminded her of construction noise. Walking in, she frowned as she saw Andy swinging a hammer around with more than a little enthusiasm, her long curly brown hair falling around her shoulders in waves. The Doctor was standing at the light table looking through a magnifying glass at a tiny piece of circuitry.

She watched them go back and forth, even though neither of them spoke. With a smirk, she cleared her throat. 'Having fun?'

They both turned to face her, and she couldn't get past the identical looks on their faces, two pairs of wide blue eyes staring at her like little kids who just got caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. A silly grin spread across the young woman's features. 'Hi Mum!'

'Andy,' Sarah smiled as she stepped down off the landing and embraced her daughter in a hug. 'How long have you been here?'

'Long enough to get drafted by Dad to help him out with his little project.'

The Doctor turned to Sarah. 'And as a matter of fact, this is not fun, it's necessary. Andy's helping me make sure that my calculations are accurate.'

Andy looked back and forth between her parents. 'I'm here to make sure that Dad is here for a long time to come.' Her eyes darkened and her voice got quiet. 'I'm not ready to say goodbye yet.' She knelt down and began to examine a piece of equipment in the floor.

Sarah walked up and looked into the Doctor's eyes before reaching out and gently squeezing his arm, then wrapped an arm around his waist. 'You told her?'

Andy looked up from her spot on the floor. 'He didn't have to.' She tapped her temple. 'It sort of trickled down. I'm actually on leave until this is straightened out.'

'Will this work?' Sarah asked.

The Doctor leaned over and kissed her temple. 'If we have anything to say about it, it will.'

Andy stood as she picked up a small piece of equipment, looked at it, and tossed it back on the floor before picking up a second piece and staring intently at it. 'Aha!' she said, a broad grin crossing her features. 'I can feel my hair curling!' At Sarah's amused expression, Andy continued. 'It means either it's going to rain, or I'm on to something.' She walked over towards the Doctor. 'Dad, look at this, would this work?'

The Doctor took the equipment from Andy and smiled. 'I do think it might, Andrea, I do think it might.' He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

'I'm surprised Luke isn't up here with you,' Sarah stated as she went back up on the landing to sit on the small sofa.

'He's here? He wasn't when we came up here,' Andy noted. She closed her eyes and concentrated, projecting a thought downstairs. Smiling, she opened her eyes. 'Less than 30 seconds, wanna bet?'

'Now Luke doesn't know,' the Doctor warned.

'That's all right, he doesn't need to for this. With what we're building, we'll be able to harness some of the rift power from Cardiff and get it to you like a nice little energy shot. Not quite as good as full on exposure to the time vortex, but it'll be the next best thing.'

As if on cue, Luke burst through the attic door. 'I didn't even know you were here yet.'

Andy looked at him. 'You didn't ask. And you didn't notice.' She pointed at her temple. 'If you want to truly work on channelling that extra brainpower the Bane gave you, you'll want to start keeping your mental radar up.'

Luke glared at her, but didn't say anything, at least verbally. Without a word, Andy turned and grabbed a piece of circuitry on the light table. Luke walked over and stood on the other side of the Doctor. The Doctor handed him the piece of equipment in his hand before clearing his throat and looking from Luke to Andy and back again. 'Stop arguing, you two, you'd think you were ten years old.' He turned back to Luke and showed him a tablet full of calculations. 'We're trying to harness that rift in Cardiff to pull on the Artron radiation and channel it into a viable means of generating energy, then be able to absorb that energy as needed.'

'Like an energy shot, almost?' Luke questioned.

The Doctor smiled broadly and put a hand on Luke's shoulder. ' Exactly.' He stepped back and let Luke and Andy stand next to each other and work at the light table. As he walked up to where Sarah was sitting, she stood up as they both heard Andy and Luke begin to go back and forth quietly, yet audibly about the project.

He wrapped his arm around Sarah's shoulder as they both stood there and watched Andy and Luke work. Sarah wrapped her arm around his waist, looked up at him and smiled. 'They're both brilliant,' she said softly.

The Doctor returned her smile. 'Yes, they are. I have no doubt that we'll get the energy figured out and then who knows what the future holds, but I look forward to finding out.' He turned and wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her close.

~!~!~!~


	2. Chapter One  It All Begins at Home

CHAPTER ONE – IT ALL BEGINS AT HOME

OCTOBER 2011

The Doctor's piercing blue eyes snapped open as he jolted awake. Running a hand through his closely cropped white curls, he sat up, then turned to Sarah and could tell by her even breathing that he hadn't woken her.

Sliding slowly out of bed, he made his way to the living room, picked up his mobile phone and a pair of reading glasses from one of the end tables. Popping on the glasses, he looked through his phone contacts and dialled a number. At the almost incoherent answer, he quickly said, 'I need to know everything about the experiment you're currently working on.'

From her flat in Cardiff, Andy Smith groggily responded, 'Dad, couldn't this wait until daylight?'

'No, it can't,' the Doctor frowned before taking off his glasses and dangling them from his fingers before letting them drop to the table. 'Andrea, I think you're in grave danger.'

At that, her voice was instantly clear and awake. 'How so?'

'That experiment you're running on the rift. There's a temporal anomaly in flux over that area for the next three weeks, and your experiment could further destabilise things.'

'How do you know?'

He sighed and when he spoke, his voice was soft. 'Trust me.'

The tone of his voice was all Andy needed to hear. 'All right. I'll be super careful.'

'About your experiment,' he started.

'Dad, it's two in the morning.' Andy took a deep breath, and the Doctor imagined her running a hand through her curly hair, a habit she picked up from him. 'Why don't I call you at a decent hour tomorrow and give you all the details before I go into work?'

'Fine, fine, but don't forget. This is important.'

'I won't, don't worry.'

The Doctor sighed. 'I'll always worry, Andy.' After a pause, he continued, 'Go back to sleep and call me first thing in the morning.' He closed the phone and made his way back upstairs. Peeking in the bedroom, he smiled, seeing Sarah still asleep.

He made a point to carefully crawl back into bed so as not to disturb Sarah. Unfortunately, he wasn't successful. 'Is something wrong?' she mumbled.

'No, Sarah, go back to sleep.'

Sarah turned towards him and propped herself up on an elbow, watching him. She spoke after a minute, her voice still sleepy. 'I don't believe you. You're agitated, I can tell.'

He reached out and brushed Sarah's cheek with the back of his hand. 'And how can you tell?'

'It's the middle of the night, for a start.' She smiled and ran her finger from the centre of his forehead out along first one eyebrow, then the other. 'And I recognise the tightness, right here.'

A laugh rumbled through him. 'You keep doing that and I'll relax quickly.'

'I know,' she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. 'Now, are you going to tell me what's really wrong?' She let her fingers play absently in his hair.

'Andy's working on an experiment with the rift.'

Sarah rested her hand on the Doctor's chest knowingly. 'Ah. You had a time flash, didn't you?'

'Yes.'

'You've had a lot more of those since we starting pulling energy from the rift last Christmas.' She thought of something else. 'We were planning on going to Cardiff in a couple of days, but we could go ahead tomorrow instead.' She watched his expression for a moment before continuing. 'It would make you feel better, wouldn't it?'

'Perhaps. I just don't want to take any chances. Those rift fluctuations could do nasty things to me, Andy or the TARDIS if we're not careful.'

'That settles it, I'll clear my schedule.' She smoothed down the Doctor's pyjama top. 'You and Andy will figure out whatever it was that caused you to have the time flash, I'm sure. And I know Luke will be more than willing to help if you need him.'

'If we're not too late already.'

His tone worried her, as did the concerned expression that threatened to set up permanent residence on his face. 'Tell me what you saw.'

He took a deep breath and shifted slightly to look in Sarah's eyes. 'A series of temporal fluctuations have started building up around the rift. I saw a slip in space-time, some sort of gap in the walls separating universes. Andrea got pulled through.' At Sarah's gasp, the Doctor reached out and covered her hand with one of his. 'It hasn't happened yet, you know.'

'Can you prevent it?'

He smiled. 'Of course.'

'Are you sure?'

'Sarah,' he replied with that reassuring tone that always made her smile, no matter the circumstances. He reached up and held her cheek in his hand before leaning forward to give her a quick kiss. 'Between Andrea, Luke and I, we'll be fine. I promise.'

'Good.' She nodded before turning back over and putting her head back on her pillow. 'Then there's nothing I need to worry about.'

'Wait a minute.' The Doctor slipped an arm around Sarah's waist and pulled her back towards his chest before leaning in close to her ear. 'I thought you were going to help me relax,' he whispered in her ear with a smile.

She looked back over her shoulder and returned his smile. 'I don't know, you seem pretty relaxed to me.'

~!~!~!~

The following evening, as the Doctor and Sarah headed towards Cardiff by car, the Doctor stared out the window, lost in thought while Sarah drove. He inhaled sharply, causing Sarah to glance over at him, concerned. 'Something's wrong,' the Doctor said gravely after a moment. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. 'I don't like this.'

Sarah's grip on the car's steering wheel tightened even as she kept her eyes on the road. 'Andy? The rift?'

'I'm going to assume so until we get there and I see for myself that things are all right. It felt like a temporal explosion of some kind. Like a large rock dropped in a pond, there are ripples I can sense.' His eyes remained closed as he concentrated. 'I can't sense her either.'

Sarah sped up the car, but said nothing. Thirty minutes later, she pulled their Nissan Figaro into the car park of Andy's flat in Cardiff. Just as she shut off the ignition and turned towards the Doctor, her mobile rang. Recognising the number, she exchanged a pointed look with the Doctor before hitting the hands-free button. 'Captain Harkness, to what do we owe the pleasure?'

'Pleasure's all mine, Ma'am,' Jack responded smoothly.

'Harkness,' the Doctor rumbled as he kept his eyes closed and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. 'Stop flirting with my wife and tell me what's happened.'

'Sorry Doc. How'd you know something happened?' The question was obvious in his voice. When neither the Doctor nor Sarah responded, Jack continued. 'Anyway, it's Andy. There's been some sort of accident here at the lab and she's disappeared. We don't have a clue what happened.' Jack's voice got quiet. 'Given what her lab looks like, some of the guys don't think she could've made it through, but I know she did.' There was an obvious stab of pain in Jack's voice. 'She has to. Andy told me this morning that you were coming in tonight, so I wanted you to hear it from me before you got to her flat.'

'We actually just pulled up. The Doctor suspected something happened a little bit ago,' Sarah responded. 'He felt it.'

'Why am I not surprised? It couldn't have been more than thirty minutes ago by my reckoning. I don't really know what to tell you over the phone, other than it sounded like a sonic boom and the lab's been totally trashed. I know it's late now, but I'd appreciate it if you could come by tomorrow and take a look around. I'll show you everything I've found. I've also stationed a guard on Andy's flat, just in case, so don't be surprised.'

'Thanks, Jack. We appreciate it.'

'And Harkness,' the Doctor added. 'Until we get there, stay away from the lab, barricade it off, do whatever you need to do. If I'm right and I usually am, there are rift fluctuations in the area. Most likely concentrated in the lab. We want to keep everyone out of danger as we possibly can.'

'Will do, Doc.'

'Harkness,' the Doctor growled.

'Doctor, sorry. Habit. I'll see you both in the morning, but let me know if you need anything before. Bye.'

'Bye,' Sarah responded before disconnecting the call. She took a deep breath. 'So you were right.'

'Our daughter's in trouble.' His voice softened. 'And I couldn't protect her.'

'It's my fault too. If I could've cancelled that other interview, we would've gotten here earlier.'

'The fluctuation was too strong, we wouldn't have been able to stop it. If we'd been here, I might've gotten pulled across with her, and who knows what might've happened to you.'

Sarah could hear the painful echo in the Doctor's voice, and knew that not only was he upset at the turn of events, but the rift fluctuations pulled on his internal energy as well. She reached over and put a reassuring hand on his arm. 'Let's go take a look around her flat, see if there's anything that stands out, then we can take a look at the lab whenever you're ready. We'll get Andy back. I know we will.'

Once the Doctor gave her a reassuring nod, they both exited the car and made their way to the front door of Andy's flat where an armed UNIT guard waited. The Doctor stepped up to him. 'Corporal.'

The soldier quickly snapped to attention and saluted, causing the Doctor's frown to deepen. 'Doctor,' he then nodded to Sarah. 'Mrs Smith. We've been expecting you.'

Sarah put her hand on the Doctor's arm. 'So we've heard.'

'Yes, Ma'am, so you know about the accident?'

'We just got off the phone with Captain Harkness,' the Doctor replied, even as Sarah nodded.

'Very good, Sir.'

'We're going to start our investigation here Corporal, then come into the lab first thing in the morning. Harkness is expecting us.'

'Of course, Sir. Would you like us to maintain a presence here, Sir?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'That really won't be necessary. We can handle anything that comes up on this end.' The Corporal stood aside as the Doctor pulled out his key and unlocked the flat door. He took a quick peek inside before giving Sarah a slight nod and dismissing the soldier with a short, 'Thank you, Corporal.'

The soldier saluted once more and waited to leave until the Doctor and Sarah had both entered Andy's flat and shut the door behind them.

The Doctor walked into the living room of Andy's flat in Cardiff and began scouring the room, intently examining every detail, leaving Sarah to glance through the other rooms. He couldn't help but notice the various pieces of scientific equipment scattered about in various stages of assembly. It reminded him of the way he and Sarah had various tidbits from all over the galaxy filling the attic. He picked up a small metal piece of equipment and began to study it as he sank into an overstuffed chair.

'At first glance, nothing looks out of place anywhere.' She sat on the sofa, then winced and leaned slightly to one side, reaching behind her and pulling a small metal device out from between the cushions before sitting back upright. 'If it was a temporal explosion like you said, you'd think that things might appear disrupted.' Sarah set the device on the coffee table in front of her.

'Not if it was centred at the lab. Those things tend to be very narrow in spatial scope. If she would've been home at the time, instead of at the lab, we might not be in this predicament. Although, if we find that the experiment she was working on is what triggered this.' The Doctor's voice dropped as he held up the piece of equipment in his hand. 'Andrea obviously tended to bring a lot of her work home.'

Sarah shook her head at him, giving him a reassuring smile. 'Wonder who she learnt that from?' She watched as the Doctor became engrossed by the piece of equipment in his hands. Reaching into his inside jacket pocket, he pulled out his reading glasses and popped them on the end of his nose. Sarah recognized the look on his face and stood up, heading towards the kitchen to make some tea. As she walked past him, she comfortingly put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, but he didn't seem to register it.

~!~!~!~

In the lab at UNIT's Cardiff base, heavy equipment had been tossed around like toys. Various pieces of machinery were strewn to the far corners and nothing was left in place. Even the workbenches were overturned and one lone hat stand rested at an odd angle across a broken piece of equipment. It looked as if a bomb had been detonated.

The Doctor held a small scanning device in his hand and walked around the detritus while Sarah held a different device in her hands and scanned another part of the room, each of them careful not to disturb anything. A soldier rushed in and spoke before he could see their faces. 'I'm sorry Sir, this room is off limits pending an official UNIT investigation.'

The Doctor turned to him and noted his rank insignia. 'I think you'll find I am the official investigation, Sergeant.'

Once they turned towards him, the soldier recognised both the Doctor and Sarah immediately and snapped to attention. 'I'm sorry Doctor, Mrs Smith. We were told you would not be arriving until tomorrow.'

Sarah gave the Sergeant a curt nod. 'Well, under the circumstances, we thought it best not to waste time.'

'Of course, Ma'am. I'll notify Captain Harkness that you've arrived. Please let us know if you need anything,' he saluted before rapidly leaving the room.

Sarah sighed and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. 'It's just like you said. Everything points to it being a temporal explosion.'

'And not triggered by the experiment she was working on. Not a good sign.'

The machine in Sarah's hand started to emit a high-pitched squeal. She glanced down at the readings. 'Temporal spike!' She jumped out of the way just as one of the pieces of detritus on the floor bounced a good metre in the air and emitted a shower of sparks before disappearing. Sarah turned to shield herself from the sparks.

The Doctor was at her side in an instant, his arm around her shoulder, pulling her away and sheltering her. 'You all right?'

Sarah nodded. 'You?'

The Doctor didn't answer her question as he reached out to take the scanning device from Sarah. He looked down at the display. 'Fortunately, this was active during the spike, so it should give me some interesting readings.' He stepped across to the far side of the room, leaving Sarah watching him, a concerned look on her face. 'It appears to have originated from the rift itself, just like expected.' He compared the readings on Sarah's device to his own. 'I'm going to need both the TARDIS and Mr Smith to calibrate these closely enough to find out exactly where and when the time slip originated.' He took the devices and put them in opposite pockets of his coat.

'And if those spikes continue, it's probably best that you not be in the nearby vicinity.'

The Doctor looked at her and saw her knowing expression. 'Correct.'

She tilted her head as she continued to regard him, waiting for him to continue.

'I can sense the fluctuations at a quantum level while we're here. I felt the pull across the void when the spike occurred. While I can't change that, I am more concerned about the varied nature of Andrea's quantum signature.'

'I hadn't thought about that.' Sarah walked over to one of the nearby overturned stools and up-righted it before sitting down. 'This has been an incredibly long day.'

The Doctor came to stand beside her, reaching out and rubbing her back soothingly as she leaned into him. 'The longest in a while,' he agreed. 'However, I think we're going to have quite a few long days before we get this resolved.'

'I just want our daughter back, safe and sound.'

The Doctor gave Sarah's shoulders a comforting squeeze. 'At least we know that Andrea is still alive, contrary to the reports these nincompoops came up with.'

She gestured across the room. 'Well, they didn't exactly have much to go on. This place is a wreck.'

'Well, fortunately, I was able to talk to Andrea beforehand, so at least she had some warning. I'm sure she'll be trying to figure out a way to reach out to us too. However, it's going to take her some time to adjust. I'd venture to say that wherever she is, she's got one nasty headache.'

Jack rushed into the lab, not surprised to see the Doctor and Sarah deep in hushed conversation. 'I didn't expect you both tonight.' Sarah turned towards him. 'Hey Beautiful.'

'Harkness,' the Doctor warned.

Jack winked at Sarah. 'And hello to your lovely wife as well.'

Jack and Sarah ignored the Doctor's glare as Sarah walked over and reached out to hug Jack. Sarah saw the concern in Jack's eyes. 'Hey Jack, you doing all right?'

He sighed. 'Honestly, I'm worried for Andy.'

'That makes three of us.' Sarah glanced back at the Doctor before returning her attention to Jack. 'Nothing seemed out of place in Andy's flat, so we didn't want to waste any time before investigating the scene of the crime.'

Jack looked around the room. 'I hope you can make some sense of it. Anything UNIT has is at your disposal, Doctor. Whatever you need, just yell.'

The Doctor looked up. 'I'm going to need to take some of this equipment back home, but we only have the Figaro.'

Jack nodded. 'Not a problem. I'll help you get it packed up myself, and then have a truck and a couple guys come with me to follow you home and get it unloaded.'

The Doctor nodded, 'Thank you, Captain.'

'You can call me Jack,' he mock-whispered, with a smile for Sarah's benefit.

The Doctor only frowned. 'Captain.'

~!~!~!~


	3. Chapter 2 Meanwhile In Another Universe

CHAPTER TWO - MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE

Andy Smith sat at the bar, nursing the gin in front of her, hoping it would ease the throbbing pain in her head. Her abnormal genetic makeup meant that for the most part, the effects of alcohol wouldn't be the same as it would be for a full human. However, she could bypass things and let the alcohol have its intended effect.

Only an hour previous, she'd been happily working in her lab in Cardiff. At UNIT, in her own universe. Unfortunately, a temporal explosion flashed around her and she'd woken up in the same place in space, but obviously a different universe. She'd found herself in the inner workings of another lab. A quick look around let her know all she needed. The area had been mostly deserted, given the amount of dust and debris that littered the ground. All the records she found pointed towards something called Torchwood, and a quick scout round told her it had been mostly abandoned after a recent explosion.

So she made her way to this bar, trying to decide what to do next. Fortunately, that was an easy choice. She reached up and ran a hand through her curly brown hair and took a deep breath, deciding to get well and truly drunk.

She only spared a glance for the man sitting down next to her. His long military style coat gave him away in a heartbeat. She could feel his eyes on her as she focused solely on her drink. 'You look like you just lost your best friend,' he said.

She turned and gave him a sad smile. 'In a way, Jack, I did.'

Jack Harkness straightened, at once instantly intrigued and concerned. 'Have we met before?' He smiled, covering his thoughts. 'Although I dare say if I'd met someone as beautiful as you and forgotten it, I need to have my head examined.'

Andy gulped down the rest of her gin and flagged the barman for another. 'I've met you, except it's not you, but you haven't met me. In a way, I don't exist, at least it doesn't appear so from where I'm sitting. Oh, the universe is vast, strange and complicated.' She turned to him. 'But you know that already.' She held up her new drink. 'Here's to a complicated universe.' Before he could reply, she downed her drink and again waved to the barman.

He raised an eyebrow, his mind instantly wondering about whether this woman in front of him could somehow be tied to the Doctor. She certainly talked like someone who might. 'Careful,' Jack cautioned, nodding towards her glass. 'Too much of that will kill you.'

Andy shook her head before concentrating her gaze on the barman as he filled her drink. 'No more than it would kill you.' She shot him a pointed glance. 'As long as I'm not stupid, which I'm not. Never have been.'

'Not stupid, I'd more likely say you were crazy since you know me and talk like other people I know, and I know for a fact that my crowd is all certifiable.' Jack reached out and put his hand over Andy's, preventing her from picking up her drink. 'Before I sit here and watch a beautiful girl that I should apparently remember but don't get totally pissed, why don't you at least remind me what your name is?'

She gave him a sloppy mock salute with the hand that wasn't still covered by his. 'Captain Andrea Smith, at your service, Captain. But you can call me Andy. Or at least where I come from you always did.' She grinned and lifted an eyebrow. 'When you weren't calling me Sweetheart or Baby, that is.'

Something about her expression unsettled him in its familiarity, not to mention her words. 'So where do you come from, Andy?'

Andy picked up her drink with her free hand and winked at Jack before tossing it back. She leaned in close to his ear. 'Let's just say I'm not in Kansas anymore.'

~!~!~!~

Andy stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in an oversized towel before trying to finger comb her unruly hair in the partially fogged bathroom mirror. She leaned in towards the mirror and frowned as she noticed the dark circles under her eyes. The way things had been going lately, she imagined they'd get darker before things got better. She didn't flinch as someone grabbed her hips from behind. 'Hello Lover,' Jack whispered in her ear.

She swatted his hands away. 'Go away, Jack.'

'It's been three days and you've barely slept, nearly as I can tell.' He perched on the edge of the bathtub and stared at her. 'You look like hell.' Smiling, he added, 'in the most gorgeous, I'd still love to take you to bed ways, of course.'

She turned to him, lifting an eyebrow. 'Keep dreaming.'

He winked at her. 'Hey, a guy can hope.'

Andy leaned over, her face mere inches from Jack's. 'Besides, I wouldn't know if you were really making love to me or imagining it was either one or even both of my parents.'

Jack put his hand over his heart. 'You wound me, Miss Smith.'

'But true?'

He shrugged, 'Possibly, you know me.'

'I know, that's why I said it.' She focused back on the mirror and picked up a brush, trying to make some sense out of her wild curls. 'You're not that much different from the Jack in my universe. Well, except for the whole fixed point thing.'

Jack watched her in silence for a moment before speaking. 'In all seriousness, Andy, you could let me help you. Torchwood may be mostly disbanded, but I still have a lot of resources at my disposal.'

Andy started applying her makeup, making sure to use extra concealer on the dark circles. 'I really appreciate you picking up some essentials and letting me stay here while I get my bearings. Unfortunately, there's not much else you can do to help, even with all the technology your or the former Torchwood has available. Sliding here wasn't exactly on my agenda when I left for work the other day.'

'What was on your agenda?'

Andy tilted her head, refusing to answer his question. She continued her original line of thought. 'Even though my dad suspected this might happen, my family is still probably frantic, and their counterparts in this universe don't have a clue,' she dropped off, not wanting to think too much about it. 'Anyway, the Doctor is probably the only one that can help me find a way to get home.'

'I told you I'd help you find him.'

'Jack, you're a fixed point. Do you know what that does to a Time Lord's insides? It's,' she started, then looked over at Jack and saw the sorrow in his eyes. 'Well, it's just odd.' She leaned over and kissed Jack on the cheek. 'I have a unique perspective. I can appreciate fixed points.'

'And what does it do to your insides?' he waggled his eyebrows.

'Jack,' she warned. As a sharp pain shot through her head, she reached up and clutched at her temples, her fists tight, gasping for air.

Jack was at her side in an instant, his arms wrapped around her, supporting her as she sagged against him. 'Andy?'

Andy took a deep breath, mentally willing the pain to ease. 'I'm fine,' she mumbled breathlessly.

'No, you're not.'

She got very quiet and still, focusing all her internal energy. After a minute, she straightened up and looked up at Jack with a weak smile. 'I am now, really. Still a bit weak, probably from the slide here. The sooner I get home the better, so I'd best head to Ealing.'

Jack crossed his arms. 'Do you really think going to this universe's Sarah Jane is a wise move? Even if she is the one that seems to trip over the Doctor more than most, isn't it just wishful thinking on your part?'

Andy sighed, ignoring Jack's question because she couldn't give him an honest answer.

'Can you really look at her and not see your mother?' Jack put his hands on Andy's shoulders. 'What if Sarah Jane can't or worse, won't help?'

'If she's anything like my mother, she'll help.' She tried to smile, not wanting to admit that the thought had crossed her mind. 'And if not, I'm good at improvising. I'm sure I'll figure something out.'

~!~!~!~

Sarah Jane answered the ringing doorbell by swinging open the front door, her sonic lipstick hidden in one hand, never knowing what to expect. She took in several things instantly. The young woman standing on her doorstep didn't look hostile, but quickly masked an expression Sarah Jane couldn't quite catch as soon as they made eye contact. Secondly, her blue eyes looked incredibly tired. Then there was something else she couldn't quite put her finger on, a feeling of familiarity that somehow she should know who this person was. 'May I help you?'

Andy smiled nervously, extending her hand to Sarah Jane. 'I hope so, Miss Smith. My name is Andrea, but everyone calls me Andy. I'm told you're the person people like me go to when they want help getting home.'

'Home?' Sarah Jane asked, shaking Andy's hand tentatively. 'Where's home?' She was almost afraid of Andy's answer, even as that feeling of familiarity strengthened.

'Earth. Well, sort of, but not here. Not this Earth.' Sarah Jane raised an eyebrow, but noted the sincerity of Andy's expression. Andy looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone around before leaning in closer, so only Sarah Jane could hear her when she whispered. 'Despite my outward appearance, I'm not all human.'

'So you're not quite human and from Earth?' Sarah Jane questioned, obviously suspicious.

Andy bit her bottom lip, then held out her wrist towards Sarah Jane. 'Here, this might explain.' She took Sarah Jane's hand and held it over the pulse point in her wrist.

Feeling Andy's double pulse beneath her fingers, Sarah Jane's eyes widened. She stepped back from the door and ushered Andy inside. 'Andy, I think you'd better come inside so we can talk properly.' Sarah Jane led her guest straight into the kitchen. 'You also look like you could use a good cuppa.'

Andy nodded. 'Yes, ma'am. It's been a long few days, I must admit.'

'Have a seat.' Sarah Jane glanced back at Andy and gestured towards the table and chairs before she started busying herself making tea. 'If you don't mind my saying so, you look like you haven't been sleeping. And you have a blinding headache, going by the look in your eyes.' Sarah Jane frowned, unsure why she'd just been so forward. Almost as if she had a right to be, but that was impossible.

Andy reached up and rubbed her eyes. 'That obvious is it? So much for makeup.' She dropped into a chair and leaned forward, elbows on the table, holding her head in her hands. 'How'd you know?'

'I get that same look myself.' Sarah Jane watched Andy, even as she was searching her memory for any trace of having met her before. 'So, tell me where you're from if you're not from this Earth.'

Without lifting her head up, Andy replied, 'I assume you're familiar with the concept of alternative time?'

'Consequences potentially determining multiple outputs of future time and split timelines dependant upon decisions made, yes.'

Andy looked up at Sarah Jane and smiled, her relief evident. 'You're not so different, that's great. Makes things easier.' She took a deep breath. 'I'm from a parallel universe.'

Sarah Jane sat a mug of tea in front of Andy. 'I thought the barriers between universes were sealed.'

'Thanks,' Andy nodded towards the mug in front of her. 'Since the Time War, they have been, mostly.' She held up one hand with her index finger and thumb touching. 'There are just some tiny,' she paused looking for the right word. 'Gaps.'

'Gaps,' Sarah Jane repeated, sitting across the table from Andy.

'I fell through, well, got pulled through would probably be a better description.' She looked around. 'This universe is so similar to mine, yet different.'

'So you and I are acquainted in your universe?' Sarah Jane asked, her curiosity growing.

Andy laughed. 'Yes, absolutely. We're very close.'

Sarah Jane took a sip of her tea. 'I'll be honest, there are a lot of things I could help you with, but I don't know much about cross-dimensional transport.'

'I actually have a theory, but it requires some outside help.' Andy took a deep breath. 'I'm hoping that you can help me find the Doctor.'

'Why?' Any mention of the Doctor usually meant trouble, and with Andy having a double heartbeat, Sarah Jane was immediately cautious. She felt she was turning up too many questions and not enough answers. 'How does your finding the Doctor help you get home?'

'Your Mr Smith can verify that my quantum temporal signature is out of place for this universe. He should also be able to help pinpoint exactly which universe I came from.' Andy took a sip of tea and closed her eyes, letting it soothe her. So much seemed familiar, yet it was obviously deeply different. It hurt her head even more to concentrate, yet that's exactly what she needed to do. She opened her eyes and looked at Sarah Jane. 'I don't belong here, Miss Smith, and I just want to get back home to my family. With Mr Smith's calculations, I think the Doctor can use the TARDIS to create a strong enough subspace pull to throw me back.'

'How do you know about Mr Smith?'

'You have him in my universe, and I made the assumption based on your reputation here.' Andy reached into her pocket and pulled out a small notebook and pushed it across the table to Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane flipped through it, looking at the complex equations written on the pages. 'What's this?'

'If my calculations are correct, the TARDIS is the only thing strong enough to harness the energy of the rift in Cardiff without causing a widening of the gap that allowed me to come through in the first place.'

'You seem to know an awful lot about quantum mechanics and temporal physics.'

'It's in the genes. I grew up playing with scientific equipment most universities would kill to get their hands on. That doesn't even count the alien tech my parents exposed me to.' Andy smiled. 'I've actually followed in my father's footsteps, working as a scientific advisor for a small para-military organisation.'

'Something like UNIT?'

Sarah Jane watched as Andy visibly relaxed. 'Oh, good, they have UNIT here. I was worried when the first person I encountered was from Torchwood. We don't have Torchwood where I come from.'

'Well, it's good you came to me.' Sarah Jane suddenly felt very protective of Andy. 'Best to stay away from Torchwood, they tend to be dangerous. Especially if you're not quite human.' Sarah Jane paused. 'I have to ask, are you a Time Lord?'

Andy shook her head. 'Only half Gallifreyan.'

Sarah Jane studied Andy's brown curls and piercing blue eyes. Andy's features tugged at her memories, then it clicked. Andy reminded her of the Doctor she'd travelled with for so long. Yet there was something else too, something she still couldn't quite put her finger on. 'And you know the Doctor in your universe?'

Andy nodded, unaware of the thoughts crashing through Sarah Jane's mind. 'That's why I figured he'd be the best one to help me. I took a chance that certain things were similar enough here, then Jack Harkness confirmed for me that you might have a way to reach him.'

'Did you tell Jack who you were?'

Andy concentrated on the tea in her mug. 'Jack and I are close in my universe, but he works for UNIT there. I gather that Torchwood is different, but I still felt that I could trust him. At least to a certain extent. He took me in and let me get my bearings before I came here.'

'How long have you been here?'

'Three days.'

Sarah Jane smiled. 'Let's not keep you stuck here any longer than you have to be. We'll do what we can to find the Doctor and get you home.'

Andy smiled wistfully and took a sip of her tea. 'Thank you, Miss Smith.'

'Sarah Jane, please.'

'Sarah Jane,' Andy corrected. She picked up her tea and tried to hide her smile with her mug. 'It might be that certain bonds are stronger than spatial coordinate variation.'

'What?'

Andy shook her head. 'Don't pay me any mind, I'm just overly sentimental.' She closed her eyes tightly, an intense pain shooting through her head like an ice pick.

'Andy?' Sarah Jane reached out and put her hand on Andy's arm. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine,' she replied through gritted teeth.

Sarah Jane stood and pulled Andy up by the arm and wrapped her arm around her to steady her. 'No you're not. Now come along upstairs and we'll let Mr Smith give you a good once over.'

Andy nodded, unable to argue as she sagged against Sarah Jane.

~!~!~!~


	4. Chapter 3 The Family Worries

CHAPTER THREE – THE FAMILY WORRIES

Luke took the stairs up to the attic in Bannerman Road two at a time. Swinging open the door, he wasn't surprised to see both the Doctor and Sarah intensely hovering over some equipment on the light table. Mr Smith was out and obviously calculating. 'Any news?' he asked.

Sarah looked up and made her way over to him, enveloping him in a large hug. 'Oh Luke, you didn't need to rush home, but no, nothing.'

Luke and Sarah walked back over to the light table. 'Dad?'

Without looking up, the Doctor reached out and gave Luke's shoulder a squeeze. He then handed him a multi-page printout. 'Hopefully we're narrowing it down, Son.' He finally looked up at Luke. 'I'll be glad to have your input. You might find something your mother and I are missing.'

'Does Jack have any thoughts on what might have happened?'

'Your father sent him back to Cardiff to keep an eye on things there,' Sarah offered.

Luke could tell from Sarah's tone that Jack's presence had been more than just a tiny topic of conversation. He watched as his parents exchanged a look that bordered on a glare.

The Doctor frowned, 'Harkness has no clue about quantum physics and is best left out of the conversation. He's a jackass under the best of circumstances. What your sister sees in him, I have no idea.'

'Doctor,' Sarah said warningly. 'Jack is pleasant enough.'

'He's dating my daughter and insists on flirting with you at the same time.'

'The attention is a nice thing sometimes. He'd flirt with you too, except you keep glaring at him.' The Doctor responded by glaring at Sarah, but she only laughed. 'Yep, that glare right there. Besides, who Andy chooses to spend her time with is up to her, whether we agree with it or not.'

Before the conversation could degrade any further, Luke looked at the numbers on the printout, flipping pages and taking it all in. 'What was Andy working on before she disappeared?'

The Doctor glanced at Sarah, then turned back to Luke. 'She'd been using the rift to study out a theory about the quantum fields undergoing thermal fluctuations.'

Luke nodded. 'Using Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. She was telling me a little about that last week. It's a fascinating study given that renormalisation makes things a bit more complicated.'

'Indeed. Turns out your sister's experiment had nothing to do with her disappearance.'

'That's good at least.' Luke held up the printout. 'I'd like to make a few modifications and run these numbers through the TARDIS.' He returned his gaze to the Doctor. 'When was the last time you pulled energy from the rift?'

'End of last week.'

'So not due again for another week.' Luke headed for the TARDIS. 'I'll get going on these right away. The sooner we narrow things down, the less likely that the break between universes will get larger, or worse, seal up completely.'

'Is that a possibility?' Sarah asked. Luke and the Doctor exchanged a look that Sarah didn't miss. 'Forget I asked.'

Without another word, Luke took the printout and headed into the TARDIS. The Doctor turned to Sarah and reached out to run a hand along her upper arm. 'It's going to be fine, Sarah. Between us, I have no doubt we'll find Andy. We also have to assume she's working on the problem as well.'

Sarah couldn't stop the tears from welling up. 'Provided she's able to.'

The Doctor pulled Sarah close and kissed the top of her head. He knew words would only be platitudes at this point.

~!~!~!~

Sarah stood at the window of Andy's bedroom and looked out over Bannerman Road. The moonlight glinted off of the raindrops that stubbornly stuck to the window, reflecting Sarah's mood. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around herself, except for occasionally reaching up and wiping away a stray tear as it fell. Silence fell across the room, when not ten minutes prior, all she could hear was the Doctor upstairs in the attic banging away on equipment and fussing loudly in Gallifreyan.

Without turning, Sarah could sense the Doctor standing behind her. His strong hands came to rest on her shoulders as he leaned forward and kissed the back of her head. 'Somehow I'm not surprised to find you in here.'

'Well?'

'I sent Luke to bed about thirty minutes ago. He was exhausted, and even now I'm making more mistakes than are prudent for me to continue tonight,' he said softly, his velvet voice comforting, even if the words weren't.

Sarah wiped away yet another tear. 'You need your rest. Nothing is going to change between tonight and tomorrow. At least I hope not.'

'You need rest as well.' The Doctor turned Sarah by the shoulders to face him. He reached up with his thumbs and wiped away the tear tracks that remained on her face. 'There's no point in thinking too much about it.' He pulled Sarah close in a tight embrace. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. 'I promise you, I will get Andrea back. No matter what.'

'She's in danger, isn't she?' Sarah mumbled into his chest.

Sarah could feel the Doctor stiffen. 'That's not something you need to worry about.'

She looked up at him. 'Her genetic structure is complicated, and we both know it. All those weeks we spent with her in hospital when she was a little girl. We almost lost her then and you had to do all those genetic grafts to stabilise her.'

He closed his eyes and whispered. 'I know.'

'You said it was environmentally specific. Well, she's in a different environment now.'

The Doctor sighed and looked down at Sarah. 'I won't lie to you, she is in danger. But I refuse to allow anything to happen to her now, any more than I did then. We will get her back and make sure she's safe. Even if that means I have to go to whatever universe she's in and get her myself.'

'Then what?' Sarah took a step back and began to pace around the room. 'You're not from this universe either. What if you get stuck? Or you go back to your original universe? I haven't forgotten how you got here.'

The Doctor leaned forward and put his hands on the window frame, not facing Sarah. 'Whatever it takes, Sarah, I will bring our daughter back to you.'

Sarah wrapped her arms around the Doctor from behind and rested her forehead against his back. 'And what if you can't? That's what I'm desperately afraid of. The thought of losing either of you tears at my heart. I can't lose you both. I just can't.' Sarah began to cry in earnest, feeling her family falling apart.

The Doctor turned around and held Sarah closely, kissing the top of her head as he reached up with one hand and began to stroke her hair. 'You're not going to lose either one of us, not if I have anything to say about it.'

~!~!~!~

In the TARDIS, the Doctor ran a hand over his eyes and sighed before trying yet another calculation. After entering the data, he could do nothing except wait for the TARDIS to finish crunching the numbers. He looked at the readings returned and paused, double checking each number and sequence.

The Doctor slammed his fist against the TARDIS console, but this time, in victory. 'Sarah!' he bellowed, the rich timbre of his voice carrying out into the attic. Sarah quickly entered the white console room from the attic, an expectant look on her face. Luke was hot on her heels. The Doctor turned to them, his toothy smile filling his face. 'I've found her.'

Sarah rushed over and they embraced, the Doctor holding her close.

'I knew you'd do it,' she said softly.

With a grin, Luke walked over and began to look at the numbers for himself.

'Well, finding her is only part of it,' the Doctor pulled back to look into Sarah's eyes. 'We still have to find a way to get her home before she starts to have problems. That may be the harder part, but Andrea is resourceful enough, I'm sure she's recruited help by now.'

'And if I know our daughter, I think I know where she might've gone.'

The Doctor looked down at her, knowing what she was thinking. 'Do you really think so?'

Sarah nodded. 'It makes as much sense as anything else.'

The Doctor pulled away from her, his mind tumbling through the possibilities. 'While it might make sense, that's also a very dangerous thing for her to do.'

She frowned as she leaned against the TARDIS console and put a hand on her hip. 'Why?'

Before the Doctor could answer, Luke looked up, his expression grim. 'We need to find a way to get a message to her. That universe is not going to be kind. She needs to know what to watch out for, health wise.'

The Doctor agreed as he turned to Luke. 'True. However, we must preserve the walls between universes. The last thing we need is to break down one of those. Who knows what may be lurking in the void space in between.' He turned back to Sarah to answer her original question while anticipating her next. 'It's my original universe.' He put a hand on her shoulder. 'And while I know what you were like back then, we have no idea whether Andy approaching either one of us would be safe now.'

Sarah took a deep breath, thinking about all of the possibilities. 'That's not good.'

'Do you think we can somehow use the gap she slipped through? Without causing another temporal spike?' Luke asked.

'That's my hope, Luke.' The Doctor pulled up a series of equations on one of the monitors. 'Take a look at that and see what you think.'

Luke stared at the numbers, then pulled a small notepad and pen out of his pocket and started jotting something down. While he was doing that, the Doctor reached out and took Sarah's hand and led her towards the TARDIS interior door.

'Where are we going?' Sarah asked once they were out of earshot of the console room.

The Doctor said nothing until they walked into one of the living room areas. He guided her to sit next to him on one of the oversized sofas and kept both of her hands in his. 'I want you to know what we're up against, but I didn't want to say it in front of Luke.'

Sarah took a deep breath, steeling herself. 'I'm not going to like this, am I?'

The Doctor ran his thumbs along the back of Sarah's hands. 'Andrea's quantum signature carries a portion from that universe that she inherited from me. It's dormant, but still there. That may be what pulled her across.'

Sarah closed her eyes and bowed her head. 'When she was ill as a little girl, you had to alter and re-graft her DNA to set a level of rejection against that portion of her quantum signature to stabilise her here.'

'Yes,' the Doctor replied at a whisper as he slipped an arm around Sarah's shoulders.

Sarah's voice was matter of fact. 'Which means out of every universe she could've possibly landed in, that's the worst one.'

'Yes.'

'She'll start to destabilise almost immediately, won't she?'

'She'll be expecting the headache, that's pretty common given what happened, but then it will continue to get worse instead of better.'

She looked up into the Doctor's eyes. 'Is the damage reversible?' She could see the hesitancy in the Doctor's expression, so she prompted him. 'Tell me. Honestly.'

He sighed. 'It is, but only if we can get her home in time.'

~!~!~!~


	5. Chapter 4 The Doctor Arrives

CHAPTER FOUR – THE DOCTOR ARRIVES

Sarah Jane reached out and gave Andy's shoulders a reassuring squeeze as she and Andy stood in the attic and watched the TARDIS materialise. As the wheezing, groaning noise surrounded them and the familiar blue box solidified, Sarah Jane decided it landed in what was quickly becoming its normal spot.

The Doctor bounded from the TARDIS, a broad grin on his face. 'Hello Smith!' He opened his arms and scooped Sarah Jane up into a warm hug, but put her down just as quickly when he saw the other occupant of the room. Adjusting his bow tie, he grabbed the lapels of his tweed jacket before expelling a deep breath as he whispered. 'Andrea Jane Smith.'

Andy noted Sarah Jane's surprised expression as the Doctor stated her full name before turning back to him and giving him a nervous smile and wave. 'Hello.'

'I'm guessing this is why you called me.' He walked towards Andy before circling her as he regarded her carefully. Coming to stand in front of her, he reached out and tapped her forehead with his index finger. 'AJ, you shouldn't be here. It's dangerous.'

'Andy, actually. No one has called me AJ since school. And how do you know that anyway?'

The Doctor only continued to look at her, his expression conveying nothing decipherable.

Andy continued. 'Believe me, I understand the danger and would prefer to go home where I do belong, but in order to do that I need your help, Doctor. Please?'

Instead of answering her question, the Doctor glared at her. 'What were you doing?'

'It wasn't me, honestly. I was studying thermal fluctuations surrounding quantum fields in the rift when a temporal spike occurred. I just got caught in the crossfire.'

Sarah Jane looked from one to the other. 'Doctor, I take it you know Andy?'

The Doctor shrugged. 'In a manner of speaking, although we've never officially met. AJ, sorry, Andy here is from a parallel universe, although I suppose you know that already.' He looked from Sarah Jane back to Andy and seeing the resemblance between them, his expression softened. 'You look like your mother,' he said as he reached out to tweak Andy's nose.

'And Mum says I look like Dad.' Andy reached her hand up into her hair and shook it. 'After all, look at what I inherited.'

The Doctor smirked. 'Am I still all teeth and curls then?'

'Your hair is white and you keep it short, but yes, you still pull off the mad scientist look. I remember when you first cut your hair, Mum kept walking up to you and running her hands through it, then giving you grief about your being averse to change. Now that you've gone all white, she likes to go on about an old grey model.'

The Doctor's smile was nostalgic as he looked over at Sarah Jane. 'Always such a tease.'

Sarah Jane listened intently to their conversation, trying to put the pieces together. 'Is Andy your daughter, then? How does that work if she's from a parallel universe?'

'Parallel universe, yes.' His smile faded as he turned to Sarah Jane and shook his head. 'Andy's not just my daughter, Sarah.' He spun Andy by the shoulders so she was facing Sarah Jane. 'She's ours. Yours and mine. Together.' Seeing the look that crossed Sarah Jane's face, he turned to Andy. 'Let's get you into the TARDIS to run some quantum level temporal scans for a start. It should take several minutes. That should narrow down which universe you come from. I assume you know what to do?' At Andy's nod, he gestured for her to head into the TARDIS. 'Hop to it.' Once Andy was inside the TARDIS, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. 'Although I know where you're from.' Taking a deep breath, he turned to Sarah Jane, 'Tea?'

Without waiting for her response, the Doctor ushered Sarah out of the attic. They only got to the landing outside the doorway before Sarah stopped. 'Tea? Seriously?' Sarah gestured back to the attic. 'That's our daughter?' Sarah Jane started. 'How'd that happen?'

He reached up and scratched at an invisible itch on the side of his face. 'Easy, Smith. Usual way, nothing out of the ordinary. Very straightforward. You're perfectly aware of the biology of the situation.' The Doctor cleared his throat and guided Sarah Jane down the stairs, his expression indicating he clearly wasn't comfortable with the question. 'Tea helps me think.' He changed topics. 'Do you remember the Scandari?'

'Yes.' Sarah Jane frowned. 'Nasty race. Nearly killed me back in the early 80s when they wanted to take over Earth as a mining colony.'

'Do you remember going to hospital?'

She shook her head. 'I honestly don't remember too much about it.'

They reached the bottom of the stairs. 'I stayed with you until the ambulance arrived, but I asked Lavinia not to tell you that I'd been here, if you didn't remember.' He reached out and put a hand on Sarah Jane's arm, stopping her going into the kitchen.

'Why didn't you stay?' Sarah asked softly.

'Lavinia very properly put me in my place. She said if I couldn't stay, then I needed to go before you got "too attached" were I believe her exact words.'

Sarah Jane nodded as they continued into the kitchen. 'Sounds like Aunt Lavinia. And the right thing to say, under the circumstances, I imagine. So how did that vary from what happened in Andy's universe?'

'In the universe Andy comes from, you didn't go to hospital. You stayed at home and recovered. I stayed with you. Still am, apparently, which is good, of course. Good for him, good for you, good for the kids.'

Sarah Jane turned towards him, almost afraid to ask. 'Which version of you?'

'Does it matter?' At Sarah's expression, the Doctor reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. 'Teeth and curls, of course.' At Sarah Jane's gasp, he slid his hand down from her arm to take her hand in his. 'Sarah, that version of me didn't belong in that universe anymore than Andy belongs here.'

Sarah Jane's confusion was obvious. 'What do you mean?'

'Meaning, I already know what universe she comes from. Mine. I am originally from her universe and her father is from this universe.' The Doctor began to pace, flinging his arms around as he spoke. 'He fell through the same gap Andy got caught up in. The universe hates a vacuum, so when I realised that he had no intention of returning, I came here. Living his life, doing the same thing I've always done. The universe I did it in didn't matter so much.'

She busied herself making tea. 'How do you know about Andy?'

'She's only one reason I knew he would never return.'

'So you were watching them?'

'After I regenerated, it was easier. Less likely to obviously run into myself. All while keeping a respectful distance of course. I didn't want to get in the way, but I had to make sure you were all right. Then the war happened and I couldn't do that anymore.'

'Doctor?'

He sighed and dropped into the chair at the table. 'Before the war, the walls between universes were fluid. While the Time Lords frowned upon it, we could move between them. With the Time Lords and Gallifrey gone, those walls solidified.'

'You were then stuck here and he was there?'

The Doctor nodded. 'He and I really aren't that different if I had to admit it.' He stopped and stared at Sarah Jane. 'Except he had the courage to do the one thing I couldn't do. He stayed.'

Sarah Jane had tears in her eyes. 'It's always about choices, isn't it?'

'In that universe, we are together and I always wondered why I couldn't have that here too. But I regenerated and wasn't the same man you loved.'

She sat a mug of tea in front of him and sat in the chair next to him. After a moment, she whispered, 'Your face never mattered.'

Instead of acknowledging her comment, he went on. 'I wasn't strong enough. I was young and selfish and didn't want to stay locked one place and one time. My exile weighed so heavily on me at times back then.' He stood up and reached out for Sarah Jane, pulling her to stand in front of him before leaning over and kissing her on the forehead. 'I wish I could've been stronger for you in this universe, Sarah.'

'It's fine, you did what you had to.'

'I'm sorry you had to see this, it's not fair to you.' He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

After taking a deep breath, she finally pulled back and looked into his eyes. 'No, it's actually been good. I got to see that somewhere, in some universe, a human and a Time Lord are able to make things work.'

The Doctor gave her a sad smile. 'And work it does, my Sarah Jane.'

~!~!~!~

'Oh this is incredibly terribly not good.' The Doctor stared at the readings on the TARDIS console, then glanced over to where Andy was sitting on the nearby jump seat, staring straight ahead. 'How are you feeling?'

She shrugged. 'Fine.' At his disbelieving look, she sighed. 'Okay, so not really. I'm exhausted. I haven't slept in days more than just a catnap. That used to be okay for me.'

'This universe isn't healthy for you, I'm afraid.' He frowned, watching her every expression as if trying to memorise it.

'Tell me about it. I know from a quantum standpoint…' Andy started.

The Doctor cut her off. 'Your unique signature separates you from any universe, because your parents have different signatures. It would be one thing if they were from the same universe, but they're not.' He took a deep breath. 'I shouldn't even say this, but you shouldn't exist.'

'Way to make a girl feel wanted.'

'No, it isn't that, Andy. Come and look at this.' He pointed at the monitor, but watched as Andy wobbled when she stood up to look at the readings on the console for herself. 'Something's happened to you.'

She glanced at him. 'I was a bit unstable as a kid, genetically speaking.'

'Uh huh,' the Doctor looked into her eyes. 'There's more to it than that.'

'Just as long as it doesn't mean that I'm going to be stuck here.'

'It's worse than that. The longer you stay, you actually run the risk of not existing.' He waved his hands around. 'You could just spontaneously disappear. Lost to the universe forever.' He pointed at the monitor.

She stared at the monitor for a moment, her jaw clenching as she read the results. 'Oh, that isn't good.'

'My other self is an idiot. What did he do to you?'

She walked over and dropped down on the steps headed down towards the underside of the console and leaned over, resting her chin in her hands and her elbows on her knees. 'I spent weeks in a UNIT hospital when I was a little girl. I don't remember the details, of course, but I guess coming here destabilised me.'

'That's one way of putting it. Those readings are off the charts.'

'Great,' she replied sarcastically.

The Doctor watched her for a moment before walking over and sitting down beside her. He put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. 'I'll keep you safe, Andrea, I promise. We'll find a way to get you home. Knowing myself like I do, I'm sure that I'm driving both myself and your mother crazy trying to figure out a way to find you.' He released her shoulders and clapped his hands together. 'Which actually gives me an idea.'

Andy turned and looked at him, her expression asking the obvious question.

'I need help. We just need to use Mr Smith and the TARDIS together to try to send a signal to your universe. It may take all of us, but we should be able to get you home.'

'All of us?'

'Yes. Actually, well, yes.' He sat up straight and began counting off on his fingers. 'Two versions of the TARDIS, two Mr Smiths, Sarah Jane, you, your mother, me and me.' With the final person, he pointed at himself. He jumped up and headed for the console, animatedly turning dials and flipping levers. He spun around and pointed at Andy and laughed. 'This might even be fun!'

Andy leaned forward and held her head in her hands. 'I'd have more fun if I could get rid of this headache.'

'Ah yes, that. Let's see what I can do.' The Doctor walked to stand behind her and leaning over, tapped his fingers against her temples. She spun around and looked up at him, but he only smiled in return. 'Better?' he finally asked.

She thought about it before responding. 'Yea, actually. Thanks!' She gave him a look. 'What did you do?'

'I'm from your universe originally, remember? Let's just say it's a trick I picked up along the way.'

~!~!~!~

Sarah Jane walked into the attic carrying a tray of tea and biscuits for Andy and the Doctor, but silence welcomed her instead. She glanced first towards the TARDIS and saw the door standing open. She put the tray down on the light table and turned, realising that Andy was curled up asleep on the sofa. With a smile, she walked over and stood at the end of the sofa and looked down as Andy slept. She hesitated, but then sat on the arm of the sofa and reached out, putting her hand on Andy's head and stroking her hair. She played with the ends of her curls and couldn't help but notice how familiar the texture felt.

Sarah Jane felt herself getting lost in her own memories of her curly haired Doctor when Andy roused but didn't fully wake. 'Mum?' she mumbled.

'Shhhh,' Sarah Jane whispered, not wanting to contradict Andy's sleepy assumption. 'Go back to sleep.'

Andy nodded and returned to sleep as Sarah Jane continued to smooth down her hair in what she hoped was a soothing gesture. After a minute, Sarah Jane stood and headed into the TARDIS. Seeing the Doctor spin around the console, punching buttons and watching the readings in the dials and monitors, she turned back to look out across her attic and leaned against the doorframe.

The Doctor glanced at her and took in the faraway look on her face. 'What's wrong, Smith?'

Sarah Jane gestured out towards the sofa. 'When was the last time you saw her?'

The Doctor stopped and walked over to stand behind Sarah Jane. He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. She glanced back at him, her expression begging for an answer. 'Alternative time, Sarah, has infinite possibilities and infinite dates that have no direct relationship to anything, but in answer to your question, she was a little girl, four or five years old at most.' He sighed. 'I never expected to see her as an adult. Not with these eyes.'

'She's not really my daughter, but I feel connected to her, even though I shouldn't. Is that weird?'

'It would be more weird if you didn't feel that way.' The Doctor turned away from her and walked back to the console, not wanting to put voice to his own regrets. 'You've always had those maternal genes, just never the outlet to express them properly until recently.'

She glanced back at him. 'She's your daughter too. Sort of. Doesn't it stir up some Time Lord version of parental genes?'

'They don't need stirring up. I've always had parental genes. I had children before I ever left Gallifrey. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren too.'

Sarah Jane frowned. 'You never said much about them.'

'They're now lost to time and the war for the most part.' He cleared his throat, not looking back up at her. 'The universe is full of so many what if's. For all of us.'

'Do you see them all? The parallels and alternatives?'

'Sometimes. When I want to. Which isn't often, certainly. It could drive anyone mad. I'm already crazy enough without that sort of pressure.'

Sarah Jane turned back to look across the attic. 'Why did you stay? In that other universe, I mean.'

'Analysing my own thought processes and decisions isn't healthy.'

'Doctor, please.' She gestured out to Andy. 'I'm sitting here looking at the results of your thought processes and decisions, and I never would've pegged you as capable of staying anywhere for too long.'

With a sigh, the Doctor came back down the stairs to stand behind Sarah Jane. He looked out across the attic, then turned Sarah Jane by the shoulders to face him. He reached down and took her hands in his, but said nothing.

'What was wrong with me?' Sarah Jane asked.

The Doctor focused on her eyes. 'What?'

'What made that other universe so special, made her different than me? That you could stay there with her, but not with me.'

The Doctor put a hand on her shoulder. 'I can honestly say, it wasn't you, it was me. That other me saw things that he never should've, and it affected him. He needed you, needed that grounding force that only you could provide him. The differences between you and your other self were inconsequential.' He took a deep breath. 'Until I interfered of course. She had Andy and concentrated on being a wife and mother in addition to the occasional alien incursion. You on the other hand had the Orbus Postremo and Planet Three and all of the things that went along with that.'

'You knew about all of that?'

He shrugged. 'I was always around, Sarah. I saw those things, I just couldn't bring myself to tell you.'

'I see.' Sarah Jane reached up to casually brush away a tear that threatened to fall, but the Doctor saw it.

He quickly wrapped her in a warm hug. 'Oh Sarah,' he whispered into her hair. 'I would love to tell you that no matter the universe, I've been there for you, just as you were for me. However, the one thing I can't do is duplicate a parallel's actions and expect the same results. But for what it's worth, I'll always need you.'

~!~!~!~


	6. Chapter 5 The Universes Collide

CHAPTER FIVE – THE UNIVERSES COLLIDE

Sarah Jane tried to concentrate on the article she was writing on her desktop computer, but she kept glancing over to the corner where the TARDIS sat parked. Part of her was glad Andy was inside the TARDIS. While she liked the girl, having a whole other life that she could've lived pushed front and centre played on her emotions more than she cared to think about at the moment. She knew that everyone's focus was and should be on getting Andy home, she'd have time for reflection later. Fortunately, at that exact moment, the Doctor flew out of the TARDIS and over to Mr Smith, bringing her attention back to the here and now. He quickly punched several buttons on the keyboard. 'Do we have a match?' he asked.

'Based on the various quantum signatures both you and Andrea have provided, it appears so,' Mr Smith intoned.

The Doctor turned to Sarah Jane and gave her a quick smile and thumbs up before disappearing back into the TARDIS. After a couple of moments, he stepped back out, playing nervously with his bow tie before looking at Sarah Jane and smiling. He shouted back to the open TARDIS doors. 'Wait until I give the signal, Andy!'

'Waiting!' Andy's voice carried out into the attic.

Before the Doctor could say anything else, Mr Smith interrupted. 'Excuse me, Doctor, Sarah Jane. I have an incoming communication.'

'Who from, Mr Smith?' Sarah Jane asked, coming down to stand beside the Doctor.

Mr Smith sounded almost confused when he responded. 'From me, Sarah Jane.'

The Doctor took a deep breath. 'It's probably us, trying to contact us for the same reasons we're trying to contact them.'

'There seems to be some degradation in the signal, Doctor,' Mr Smith intoned.

'Can you boost it through the TARDIS?'

'With the connection you and Andrea have established, I believe so.'

'Do it.' The Doctor glanced over at Sarah Jane. 'You ready for this, Smith?' A million things went through Sarah Jane's mind, but she kept them to herself and nodded. The Doctor called back towards the TARDIS, 'Now Andy!'

'Done!' her voice called out.

'All right, Mr Smith, try again.'

'Attempting communications link,' Mr Smith responded. Sarah Jane kept her arms wrapped tightly around herself, watching Mr Smith's view screen. 'Connection established.'

As an image of the older Fourth Doctor appeared on the screen, the Eleventh smiled as he clasped his hands together in delight. 'Well there's a face I never thought I'd see again.' He heard Sarah Jane gasp and spared her a brief glance before focusing back on his earlier self. 'How's my universe treating you, Doctor?'

'Your universe?' Four asked with a frown. 'You're me?'

'In the flesh,' Eleven reached up and adjusted his bow tie. 'And yes, your universe. You slide there and decide to stay, so to compensate, I have to come and pick up the pieces here. How one Doctor could cause so much trouble, why even the Pantheon of Discord took notice of it, feeding on the temporal wakes. The Trickster made Sarah Jane here a target several times because of her association to you. Me. Whatever.'

Four looked fondly at Sarah Jane standing next to Eleven, then turned his gaze back to his other self. 'Is this really important right now? I contacted you because we have a problem.'

'I'd say,' Eleven smirked. 'If we weren't in a hurry and you weren't me, I'd bring you up on charges.' He pointed at the screen. 'You're a thief.'

'Excuse me!' Four was indignant.

'You took my life, my place there.' Eleven reached down and grasped Sarah Jane's hand before continuing. 'My companions.' The tone implied so much more that passed unsaid between both Doctors.

Four didn't respond, but glanced back as his Sarah entered the attic and came down to stand next to him. She smiled nervously. 'Hello.' Turning towards Four, she continued, 'I don't look that much different, but is that you?' she nodded towards the view screen before looping her arm through the Doctor's and rubbing her opposite hand along his arm.

'It is,' Four responded, covering Sarah's hand with his. Turning his attention back to the view screen, he asked, 'Which body are you?'

'Eleventh.'

'Burning through them at an alarming pace, I see.'

Sarah Jane focused on the youthful appearing Doctor standing next to her, trying to ignore the older appearing Fourth Doctor and her other self on the view screen, along with all of the feelings that evoked. 'We really don't have time for you two to stand here and argue, do we?'

'Did it work?' Andy shouted from inside the TARDIS.

'Yes, I think so. Come on out and take a look,' Eleven shouted back, then focused on his other self. 'I do believe you've lost something. Or rather someone.'

Andy rushed out of the TARDIS and stepped in front of Eleven and Sarah Jane. On the view screen, Four and Sarah's relief was evident. 'Andy! Oh thank goodness!' Sarah exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes.

'Mum, Dad, you two are a sight for sore eyes!' Andy hung her head. 'I wasn't sure I'd see you again.' Sarah Jane instinctively stepped up next to Andy and put her arm around her shoulders, attempting to both comfort and protect her, although to protect her from what, she wasn't sure. Andy glanced over at her and gave her a weak smile.

The relief in Four's voice was obvious as he watched his daughter. 'Do you honestly think your mother or I would give up on finding you?'

Andy only shook her head. Sarah buried the feelings of jealousy that threatened to spring up as she looked at her counterpart comforting her daughter before concentrating on Andy. 'How are you feeling, sweetheart?'

'I'm fine,' Andy mumbled, knowing it wasn't the full truth.

Eleven cleared his throat as he reached out and ruffled Andy's hair. 'We need to figure out a way to get your daughter back to you. Given the cobbled up mess that is her genetic structure, it should've been a physical impossibility for her to even be conceived, and quite frankly, the fact that she turned out healthy is a miracle in and of itself. Sometimes the universe gives us those, and I guess for that we should be thankful.'

'Doctor,' Sarah Jane shot him a warning look. 'Could we please stay on point?'

Andy turned to Eleven, agreeing with Sarah Jane. 'You did say the longer I stayed here, the more dangerous it becomes.'

Four watched and knew Andy hadn't been completely honest when she'd told Sarah that she was fine. 'Andy?' Four asked.

She knew exactly what he meant when he used that tone. 'While I was expecting the headache I got from the original temporal explosion, I wasn't expecting the residual issues I've been having. All due to this universe from the looks of it.' She looked up at the screen. 'It's getting worse.'

'I think there's a way to channel the energy from the rift in Cardiff through the TARDIS and create a conduit to get you home. I'm sending the calculations to that Mr Smith now,' Four was matter of fact, even as he focused on the view screen and his daughter.

Mr Smith shuffled the image on the view screen to one side and displayed the Doctor's calculations up on the other half of the screen as he received him. Eleven stood looking at them for a minute. He frowned. 'That should be easy enough to rig up, but it will take some time.'

'How much time?' Sarah asked from her spot next to Four.

Eleven looked up at the view screen and smiled. 'Don't worry, Sarah. We'll keep Andy safe until we can get her home.' He started inputting calculations into Mr Smith, speaking all the while. His voice was light, but his words were anything but. 'I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous.' His eyes darkened as he looked down at his boots. 'The slow path is not something most Time Lords allow themselves the luxury of.'

On the screen, Four frowned. 'As you well know, we're not most Time Lords.'

Eleven looked up again and put his face near the view screen. 'If that were true, you would've never left Sarah here in the first place. It took you going to a parallel universe and realising that the timelines were out of whack from the moment you got there with Adric. So you decided to use that to your advantage.'

'Adric died,' Four said softly.

'He died here as well, just later on in our travels, after I'd regenerated. But you couldn't handle it. And rather than just keep moving on as we always did, you let your hearts control your life in a way Time Lords shouldn't.'

'Maybe Time Lords should. There's a lot to be said for it.' Four frowned. 'Look is this really a discussion we need to be having? We can't change the past, and I'm staying here with my family. Now, are we going to work together to get my daughter back to her proper universe, or continue to bicker about things you regret?'

'You have regrets as well.'

'Nothing that would make me change my decisions,' Four countered.

'Your decisions were wrong,' Eleven stated.

Andy started to say something, but Sarah Jane gave her a look that stopped her in her tracks.

'Now just a minute,' Sarah Jane piped in, looping her arm through Andy's in support. 'If the result of his decisions means that this young woman is here and alive, and that in their universe,' she gestured at the view screen where the Fourth Doctor and her other self were watching her, 'they've been together for however long it's been, then it's not our place to criticise.'

'Sarah Jane,' Eleven began. 'You can't possibly understand the repercussions.'

'Maybe not, but I know enough. You're here because Andy needed you and once she's home safely, you'll be gone again. Somehow I deserve better, and at least there, I get it. Any repercussions will be up to them to handle as a family.'

Eleven looked at Sarah Jane, cataloguing all of the emotions written on her face and filing them away for later. 'Right, let's go,' Eleven said quietly.

~!~!~!~

Sarah walked back upstairs into the attic carrying two mugs of tea. She watched as her Doctor walked back and forth from his TARDIS to Mr Smith and back again. On the view screen, they maintained the connection with the parallel universe where Andy was currently stuck. She could see the younger appearing Doctor bouncing back and forth in front of the view screen as he worked on the calculations on that end. Seeing herself was slightly disconcerting, but she found herself not wanting to know too much about that other universe.

She watched as Andy sat down on the steps of Sarah Jane's attic and could tell instantly that something was wrong. 'Andy?' she asked, setting down the mugs of tea and stepping up to the view screen.

Andy looked up at her mother. 'Sorry, Mum. I'm just a little woozy. Probably lack of sleep, that's all.'

Eleven glanced back at Andy, having heard her response. 'Not much longer now, I promise.'

'Something's wrong,' Andy finally whispered.

He stopped dead in his tracks, kneeling in front of Andy. She reached out and grabbed at the arm of his coat before slumping over, unconscious. 'Andy, Andy can you hear me?'

Sarah Jane rushed over to his side, instantly gathering Andy in her arms. 'Doctor, you've got to do something!'

'What's going on?' Sarah demanded to know as she tried to make sense of the scene that played out on the screen in front of her.

Four came to stand beside her. 'We need to make the transfer now!' he insisted.

Eleven spun around to face the view screen. 'We don't have much time.'

Four verified his calculations. 'Everything's ready on this end. All you have to do is flip the switch.'

Eleven nodded, then turned back to Andy and Sarah Jane. 'Sarah, I want you to hold her steady, then you'll feel her literally fading. At that point, let go, understand?' Sarah Jane nodded, obviously concerned. She reached down and shifted Andy to hold onto her shoulders. 'And now!' Eleven shouted as he flipped the switch.

Sarah Jane waited a moment. 'Nothing's happening, Doctor,' she said worriedly.

Eleven quickly knelt down next to Andy. He reached down and grabbed her wrist to take her pulse, then took his thumb to push up her eyelid and look at her pupil. 'She's not stable enough to travel alone. There needs to be a certain amount of conscious thought for her to make the transfer.' He looked up at the view screen. 'Now we have to make a choice.'

Four frowned. 'I'll have to come there, we've established the pathway, so we can easily reverse it. There's no other way. If you were to come here, it might be more difficult to get you back.'

Eleven nodded. 'I agree.'

'Well I don't,' Sarah said through the view screen from her spot standing next to Four. 'I have an idea.' She turned to him and took his hand, pulling him out of view of Sarah Jane and Eleven.

~!~!~!~

'You're not going.' Sarah turned to the Doctor. 'I'm going.'

'Sarah, you can't. You're human.'

'Don't start that with me.' She put her hands on his arms. 'It's either me, or that universe's Sarah Jane. That's your original universe. If you go, you might not be able to get back, and then where would we be? If that Doctor comes here, he runs the risk of getting stuck and we don't need that either. My daughter needs help getting home. I have a vested interest, so it makes the most sense for me to go. Besides, it won't impact me as much as it will you.'

He reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand. 'You're wrong. The transfer might be fatal if the least little thing goes wrong.'

'How likely is that?'

'I don't know. Anything could happen.'

Sarah leaned her cheek into his hand, then reached up to cover it with her hand. She turned her head to press a kiss into his wrist. 'Then I have you here and your other self there. You'll get us home, I know you will.'

'Even if you have no other ill effects, at the very least, you'll be severely disorientated and it will give you one of the worst headaches you've ever experienced.'

Sarah put her hands on her hips. 'Worse than the Scandari?'

'Yes.'

'I don't care. This is our daughter. If I was willing to face the Scandari for people I don't know, you'd better believe I will cross universes and take whatever risk for my child.'

The Doctor locked gazes with Sarah and knew she wasn't going to be dissuaded. He finally nodded. 'Very well.' He looked deeply into her eyes before leaning in and quickly kissing her before they stepped back in front of the view screen and to explain the new plan.

~!~!~!~

Sarah materialised in Sarah Jane's attic. Instantly, she reached up and put her hands against her temples, but then shook her head to ignore the throbbing pain piercing through her head. She quickly took in the situation around her. She saw her Doctor on the view screen watching her arrival. 'Made it,' she whispered to him and they exchanged a smile. She saw the Eleventh Doctor watching her, his own silly grin plastered on his face.

'Sarah Jane Smith, welcome to this universe.'

She nodded politely at Sarah Jane, who was still cradling Andy's unconscious form. 'Thank you.' She knelt down and took Andy's hand in hers.

'Are you all right?' The Doctor knelt beside her and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she nodded. He then reached down and pulled Andy into a sitting position. 'Okay, I want you two to switch places. Sarah, you need to be sitting behind Andy. You're going to have to hold her tight.'

From the view screen, Four could do nothing but watch and advise. 'Sarah,' he started, prompting both women to turn. 'Both of you be careful not to touch. The last thing we need is the Blinovich Limitation Effect causing more problems.'

'Right,' they both said in unison, before turning to look at one another. Sarah Jane stood up and stepped out of the way before gesturing for Sarah to take the spot she'd just vacated. Sarah slid into Sarah Jane's spot and the Doctor eased Andy into her mother's arms.

The Doctor looked into Sarah's eyes and could see the pain she was masking. 'Sarah?'

'I'll be fine,' Sarah replied as she tightened a hold on her daughter, cradling her head and smoothing back her hair.

'Crossing universes with no sort of containment shell, especially so rapidly, well it's foolhardy and dangerous.' He sighed. 'I should've known you'd jump in feet first.'

She focused all her attention on Andy. 'For my daughter? You'd better believe it.'

_'I had a bad dream, Mummy. The monsters came for you and Daddy.' Andy reached up and roughly wiped away more tears with the back of her hands. 'The scary monsters,' she added before sniffing._

_Sarah quickly scooped up the five year old onto the bed beside her, cuddling her close. 'It's all right, Andy, it was just a bad dream.' She reached up to wipe away Andy's tears before beginning to smooth down her wild curls in hopes of soothing her. She debated what to tell the little girl, wishing she could tell her daughter that the monsters weren't real, that they were figments of her imagination. Unfortunately, she knew that wasn't the case. Very often, the monsters in Andy's dreams were actually telepathic visions of what the Doctor was currently encountering._

_'I'm scared, Mummy,' Andy sniffled again before burying her head against Sarah's chest._

_Sarah held the little girl tightly. 'It's all right, you're safe.'_

_Sarah felt Andy relax before she shifted and tucked her head into the crook of Sarah's arm. 'Is Daddy fighting monsters again?'_

_Sarah glanced at the empty spot next to her on the bed. 'Yes, he is.' She turned back to Andy. 'Daddy will keep the monsters away. We'll always keep you safe.' _

Sarah pushed back Andy's curls away from her face. 'I've not done such a good job of keeping you safe, have I?' She looked up at Eleven and Sarah Jane. 'What's next?'

'Hold her tight, Sarah. The strength of your quantum signature is what's going to pull you across. Her internal energies will pull on yours while you make the trip, so it will drain you. And in your already weakened state, you may even lose consciousness before you materialise back home, or soon after. At the very least, you'll be completely exhausted, fortunately the trip itself shouldn't take more than a few seconds.'

Sarah looked up at him. 'You're the original Doctor from my universe. The one I travelled with.' The Doctor cupped her cheek with his hand and gave her a small nod. 'Thank you,' she managed a small smile.

The Doctor stood up. 'Quickly now, Andy doesn't have much time.'

Sarah glanced over at Sarah Jane. 'And thank you for being here for her and for all your help.'

Sarah Jane nodded. 'She seems like a good kid. Take care of her.'

'Will do.' Sarah wrapped her arms more tightly around Andy and leaned down to whisper in her ear. 'Don't worry, Baby Girl, it's time to go home.'

The Doctor walked over to Mr Smith. 'Ready, Sarah?' At her nod, he flipped the switch. 'Here we go!' The Doctor and Sarah Jane could only watch as Sarah and Andy faded away. The Doctor released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He turned back to the view screen and watched as Sarah and Andy appeared on the screen. Home.

Sarah Jane stepped up next to him and put a hand on his arm. 'You've done it.'

'We've all done it,' he said softly. Watching the view screen, he could see his other self kneeling next to Andy and Sarah. Luke was on the opposite side and they were obviously engrossed in taking care of Andy.

Four glanced back up at the screen. 'Thank you,' he said softly.

'Ending communication,' Eleven whispered as the view screen went dark. He turned to Sarah Jane and gave her a smile. 'And that's that.'

'Will Andy be okay?'

'I knew a lot more before the war when I could keep an eye on things.' The Doctor shrugged, staring at his boots. 'As for now, I don't know, but I have to believe so. If anyone can make sure she is, they will.'

Sarah slipped her arm through the Doctor's. 'Have you truly been happy in this universe?'

'Not at first, but this eventually became home.' The Doctor turned to Sarah and wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in her hair. 'Having friends like you helps.'

'Well, I'm always here, Doctor.'

He whispered in her hair. 'My Sarah Jane.'

~!~!~!~


	7. Chapter 6 Homecoming

CHAPTER SIX – HOMECOMING

As Andy and Sarah materialised in the same spot on the attic floor that they'd just vacated in the other universe, the Doctor glanced up at the screen where the Eleventh Doctor and Sarah Jane were still watching. With a grateful nod, he smiled. 'Thank you.' He turned and knelt down next to Sarah and Andy.

Neither the Doctor nor Luke heard the Eleventh Doctor say, 'Ending communication,' as he broke the connection. Both of them were focused on Sarah and Andy. Sarah fell backwards as Andy began to literally fade. The Doctor grabbed Andy by the shoulders, willing her to solidify. 'Hang on Andy!'

Sarah lifted her head to look at her family before collapsing into unconsciousness. Leaving one hand on Andy's shoulder, the Doctor reached across and took Sarah's pulse before looking at a worried Luke.

Luke grabbed an anti-gravity crash cart, but the Doctor quickly stood and scooped up Andy in his arms. 'Stay with your mother.'

'Dad, you shouldn't,' Luke started, however the Doctor already had Andy through the TARDIS doors and on the way to sickbay.

'I may look like an old man, Luke, but I'm only 850,' he called back. 'I'll be back in a second.'

Sarah eyes fluttered open as she tried to concentrate on what was happening. 'Luke,' she asked, her voice weak. 'Help me into the TARDIS.' She pulled herself up into a sitting position, and with Luke's help, stood up. She wrapped her arm around Luke's shoulders for support and leaned against him as they made their way into the TARDIS.

'Mum, we need to get you someplace to lie down. The slides have worn you out.'

Sarah shook her head. 'I need to see your sister first.'

'Dad's taken her to sickbay.'

'Let's go.' Sarah put one hand up on the wall for support as she and Luke made their way from the console room to sickbay.

~!~!~!~

In sickbay, the Doctor checked all of Andy's vitals, and hooked up several pieces of equipment to help monitor her. Again, she faded, then resolidified. 'You have to hold on, Andy. You're home now,' he called out to her as he moved around the room, checking readings and making adjustments.

'Home?' Andy's eyes opened and she searched the room before losing consciousness yet again.

Luke and Sarah came to stand in the doorway. Luke helped Sarah to sit down in one of the nearby chairs, then made his way to Andy's bedside. 'How is she?' he asked.

'I'm trying to get her stable.' He looked straight up at the wall, not at Luke. 'I thought I told you to stay with your mother.'

'I'm here,' Sarah said weakly from her spot in the chair.

The Doctor glanced back at Sarah and frowned before turning back to Andy. He looked at the readings on the monitors and made one final adjustment before taking a deep breath of relief. He reached down and put his hand on Andy's forehead. 'Her readings are finally where they should be.'

'Good,' Sarah whispered, her head lolling forward.

The Doctor spun around and crossed the room, kneeling down in front of Sarah's chair. He reached out and lifted up Sarah's head to look into her eyes. 'Come on, you're exhausted.' Taking Sarah's hands in his, he stood up and pulled Sarah to her feet. Sarah sagged against him, so he scooped her up. He turned to Luke. 'Stay here while I get her settled in to rest.'

The Doctor carried Sarah to one of the nearby bedrooms. He settled her down on the bed and pulled the duvet up around her shoulders. He sat for a moment on the edge of the bed and simply watched her. Sarah opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her voice was weak as she asked, 'Were we in time?'

The Doctor sighed. 'Yes, but only just. She needs time and lots of rest, as do you. That trip to the other universe took its toll.'

'You aren't kidding,' she said, forcing a smile. 'Brutal.'

He leaned forward, his lips resting against her forehead. 'Oh Sarah,' he whispered. 'You are amazing.' Sitting up, he reached out with his free hand and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. 'I should get back and check on Andy. You sleep now and I'll come back shortly.'

Sarah nodded, her eyes closing as she fell into a deep sleep.

~!~!~!~

Several hours later, in the TARDIS medical bay, the Doctor stood by Andy's bedside, watching her sleep.

_The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed, his arms wrapped around Sarah, even as she held the sleeping baby Andy. 'You need to sleep, Sarah.'_

_Sarah stifled a yawn. 'I just want to hold her a little longer.' The Doctor watched as Sarah stroked Andy's hand and fingers, even as Andy held Sarah's finger tightly in her tiny hand. Sarah glanced back at him, her smile radiant. 'She's absolutely gorgeous. I never thought,' Sarah dropped off, tears of love in her eyes._

_The Doctor leaned in and kissed Sarah's temple. 'There will be plenty of time for holding her, I promise.' He gently lifted Andy out of Sarah's arms. 'You relax and get some sleep while you can. She'll wake up and want to be fed soon.'_

_As the Doctor stood up, Sarah settled back in the bed, yawning again. 'All right, you win.' The Doctor adjusted Andy in his arms and started to head out of the room. 'Where are you going?' Sarah called after him._

_'Letting you rest.' The Doctor stopped at the door and looked back at her before taking Andy out. As he made his way through the TARDIS hallways, he stopped a moment and looked down at the sleeping infant in his arms. _

_It had been a long time since he'd held a child, and never one less than a day old. Loomed children on Gallifrey were not given to their parents immediately after birth, but instead went through all the standard medical checks and observation, then finally delivered to the parents after several months._

_As he continued to walk on, he decided that there was definitely something to be said for biological reproduction and the excitement of being present at your own child's birth. He walked past an open door, and caught a glimpse of his reflection from a mirror in the room. He turned back to the room and realised it was his boot cupboard. He crossed to the full length mirror and took in his reflection. He wore his brown trousers, boots and white flowing poet-style shirt, his hair a tangle of curls and in his arms, the tiniest bundle wrapped in a striped blanket. _

_He smiled and looked down as a gurgling noise came from the bundle. Andy's eyes were open, not fully focused, but watching in his direction. He knew the baby inherited some of his telepathic abilities, she was projecting feelings of being safe and secure. He sighed and reached up to barely touch the end of her nose with his finger. His voice was soft as he spoke. 'You, Baby Girl, are quickly solidifying yourself into the centre of my universe.'_

_Andy gurgled in response. 'We want to give your Mummy some time to rest. I didn't figure you'd mind spending some time with me, do you?' He paused, thankful he could speak baby. 'Good, well, why don't we sit over here, and I'll tell you a story.' He crossed the room and sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs. 'Who am I? Oh, I'm the one that has to keep you safe.' _

His reverie was broken when he saw her starting to shiver. He turned to Luke, who sat in one of the nearby chairs, reading a book. 'Go get two more blankets.' Luke nodded and ran out of the room. The Doctor focused back on Andy as she started to stir. He reached out and put his hand on the top of her head. Her eyes flickered open, but were unfocused. She whimpered incoherently. 'Shhh, Andrea. You're home.'

'Daddy?' her voice weak. Her eyes searched until she saw the Doctor. 'So cold.'

'Not for long,' the Doctor told her as Luke came back in the room carrying a stack of blankets. The Doctor took them from him and began tucking them around Andy. After getting several layers around her, he smoothed back her hair. 'That should help.'

Andy nodded, her eyes scanning the room before closing again. 'Where's Mum?'

'Resting.' He pulled the blankets up around her chin as she shivered again. 'She went to that other universe and brought you back.'

Andy frowned, her voice just a whisper. 'Dangerous.'

He smiled. 'Well, you know your mother, she's stubborn and determined. We figured it was the only way to get you back safely, however that quick trip there and back caused her quite the headache.'

'Harsh.'

'Quit trying to talk, you need to stay still while your body stabilises.' He realised his last words hadn't been heard as she'd fallen back to sleep. The Doctor leaned down and kissed her forehead before whispering, 'Sleep well, Andy.'

Luke walked from the side of Andy's bed over to the nearby monitor and looked at all her vital signs. Behind him, the Doctor sighed deeply. Luke turned around and watched as the Doctor reached up and ran a hand over his eyes. 'Dad, you really should go get some rest now too.'

'Not until I'm sure she's stable.'

'She is. Look, Andy is sleeping, and probably will for some time yet. Nothing has changed in her readings in the last six hours, and I'll be right here just in case.' Luke reached up and put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. 'You've done everything you could do. She's going to be fine. Besides, you should check on Mum.'

The Doctor looked at Luke in silence for a minute before finally agreeing. 'You're right. I should check on your mother.'

Luke gave him a quick nod of approval, then pulled up a chair to sit next to Andy's bed. The Doctor headed out towards the door, then stopped and turned. 'Luke, let me know if anything changes.'

'I will, now go.'

~!~!~!~

The Doctor made his way through the TARDIS hallways, still worried. Not just about Andy, but about Sarah as well. The quick push and pull of the separate universes had taken their toll on Sarah physically. However, he knew that she understood the consequences, not that he would've been able to talk her out of it. There was something to be said about the bond between a mother and child. He smiled, his hearts full of affection.

He came to stand in front of a single door. He rested his hand lightly on it before taking a deep breath and pushing it open. He smiled at the sight of Sarah sleeping in the oversized bed, curled up on her side, covers pulled up around her shoulders.

He made his way across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed before reaching out and ghosting the back of his fingers along her cheek. She roused and turned towards him. 'How's Andy?' she asked groggily.

'Stable and sleeping.' The Doctor watched as Sarah nodded in response, but he could see her eyes getting heavy again. 'I should let you rest.'

Sarah reached out and caught his arm. 'Stay with me, please. Just for a little while.'

He watched her for a moment, then stood up and crossed to the opposite side of the bed. He kicked off his shoes and crawled in, opening his arms to her. She shifted to settle into his embrace. 'How's your head?' he asked.

'Sore, but worth it, since Andy is safe.' Sarah put her head down on his chest and closed her eyes. 'I can feel my heart beating in my head.'

'That's not surprising, under the circumstances.' He turned towards her. 'Here, lean back against this pillow.' Sarah rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. The Doctor sat up and leaned over her, reaching out began to gently massage her temples, instantly relaxing her. Her eyes drifted closed again. 'Better?' he asked.

'Much,' she breathed out at a whisper. She took more deep calming breaths as she felt the tension easing away.

The Doctor noticed a frown creep across her face. 'What's wrong?' he asked, pulling his hands away from her temples.

She opened one eye and looked up at him. 'This is going to sound stupid, but could you just talk to me or something? I need to hear your voice.'

He was instantly concerned. 'Sarah?'

She opened her other eye to look at him, but bit her bottom lip as she tried to put the emotions into words. 'I saw, firsthand, my worst fear played out in front of me. Universes out there where we're not together. We're friends there, but that's all. You and I have shared so much more in our time together. And one day, something will happen and our time will come to an end.' She noticed the sad look in his eyes and reached up to touch the side of his face. 'We've learned to live in the moment, and in this moment, I need to be reminded that you're here.'

He reclined down next to her, leaning in and pressing his lips against each one of her cheeks in turn. 'I am here, Sarah.' He then kissed her forehead. 'And here is where I'm staying.' He moved down to her lips, giving her a lingering kiss. After a moment, he pulled back and looked into her eyes. 'Now, as for the voice, what did you have in mind?

She moved to cuddle up against him. 'Androcanar? In the original Gallifreyan?'

He smiled, knowing how much they both loved the melodious lines of one of Gallifrey's best known historical poets. 'As you wish,' he whispered, before leaning in close to her ear and reciting from memory. He watched as a soft smile spread across her face and eventually she eased back into slumber.

~!~!~!~

In one of the comfortable living areas in the TARDIS, Sarah sat on the end of an overstuffed sofa, her feet propped up on a small ottoman and a book in her hands. Andy walked in and sat next to her. 'Hey Mum.'

'Hey Baby Girl,' Sarah put her book down. 'How are you feeling?'

'Alive.' Andy smiled.

Sarah leaned over and kissed Andy's cheek. 'Something I'm very grateful for.'

Andy flopped over and stretched out on the sofa, putting her head in Sarah's lap. 'Thank you.'

'For what?'

'Dad told me you crossed over to that other universe to bring me home.'

Sarah smiled, 'Well, you make it sound more dramatic than it actually was. You were unconscious and needed help.'

Andy looked up at Sarah and sighed. 'Still, I know it took its toll on you, that's why we're recuperating here.'

Sarah began to run her fingers through Andy's hair, pushing it away from her face. 'You had a much rougher go than I did. I'm trying not to think too hard about how close we were to losing you.'

'Sometimes the laws of physics are not our friends.'

'Yes, well, you're home now, that's the important thing. And we're going to make sure that something like that never happens again.'

Andy closed her eyes, feeling herself start to relax for the first time in weeks. 'That other universe was scary, Mum.'

'Scary? How so?'

'Well, it was so similar, but just different enough to be uncomfortable. For example, Jack works for an organisation called Torchwood, not UNIT. While its origins are suspect, the two organisations don't get on. And Jack is so different there. Something happened and he's actually a fixed point in space and time. I've never seen that before with a person, and it unsettled me a bit.'

'Is that why you didn't want me to call him once you woke up?'

'I like Jack. A lot, but I just wanted some time.' She looked up at Sarah. 'That and I didn't want Dad to spend all his time glaring at Jack while Jack worked his hardest to make him uncomfortable. None of us need that right now.'

As Andy closed her eyes again, Sarah could feel the tension still emanating from her and knew she was beginning to approach the root of what was on Andy's mind. She continued to play with Andy's hair, knowing it always relaxed her, and knowing that as she relaxed, she would admit what was really bothering her.

After a few minutes, Andy continued. 'It wasn't just that, Mum. Seeing you, well, that universe's version of you, and then the Doctor, it was weird. I don't like to think that there's a universe out there where you and Dad aren't together, but I saw it.'

'All the choices we make have opposites out there, Andy.'

'But you loved each other there too, it was obvious.' Andy opened her eyes and looked up at Sarah. 'Mum, how could things be so different?'

The Doctor walked in just in time to hear Andy's last question. He sat in the chair nearest the sofa and looked over at Andy and Sarah. 'It's me, I'm afraid.'

'What do you mean?' Andy asked, turning her head to look at him.

He didn't want to go into too much detail. 'I made a decision almost 30 years ago that put things on the path that played out both here and there. The important thing for you to know is that here is where I am now, and here is where I'm going to stay.'

'Dad,' Andy asked, closing her eyes again as Sarah continued to play with her hair. 'That Doctor said that I shouldn't exist. How much truth is there in that? I mean I literally felt myself fading out, if that makes any sense.'

'It was touch and go there for a while, certainly.' The Doctor looked over at Sarah, weighing his words. When he spoke, he turned straight ahead, not looking at either one of them. 'As for the truth of whether you should or shouldn't exist.' He paused. 'Cross-species compatibility along with the quantum dimensional differences would tend to negate the likelihood that any offspring would be viable.'

Andy covered her face with her hands. 'Yet here I am,' she mumbled.

Sarah looked over at the Doctor and lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing. The Doctor got out of the chair and knelt in front of the sofa, then reached out and put his hand on the top of Andy's head. 'That's part of what makes you so precious. You're unique not just in this universe, but in several others. You said yourself that even the version of me in that other universe knew who you were without you saying a word. Your echoes carry throughout all of time and space.'

She folded her hands over her stomach, opened one eye and looked at him. 'Seriously?'

'Seriously,' the Doctor confirmed with a smile as he leaned forward and kissed Andy's forehead. He sat back in the chair as a smile finally crossed Andy's features.

~!~!~!~


	8. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

A couple of days later, back in their bedroom in the house, the Doctor and Sarah sat down on opposite edges of the bed. Sarah brought her hands up and buried her face in her hands. The Doctor watched her for a moment before standing up and crossing to sit next to her. He reached up and pushed her hair to one side before gently squeezing her shoulders. 'Sarah?'

She turned her back towards him to give him better access as he began to knead her shoulder muscles, but said nothing.

He leaned forward and kissed the back of her neck. 'You're incredibly tense, what's wrong?'

He felt her shoulders sag underneath his hands. When she spoke the words she'd heard his other self say, there was no emotion behind them. They came out muted and hollow. 'The slow path is not something most Time Lords allow themselves the luxury of. You let your hearts control your life in a way Time Lords shouldn't.' She turned towards him. 'That's what your other self said. He also said that he knew you had regrets.'

The Doctor sighed. 'You used to always ask me if I regretted giving up my travels. It wouldn't truly matter how I answered, you would always assume that I ached to be amongst the stars again.' He noticed that she couldn't look him in the eyes. 'You know my feelings for you, for our family. Time Lords are not supposed to get involved, but I did and am proud of it.' He reached out and took Sarah's hand in his, their fingers lacing together instinctively. 'My other self thinks I was a coward, unwilling to face the universe after Adric's death, but the truth of the matter is that staying here with you took more courage that he was capable of. Yes, Adric's death may have been the catalyst that brought me back, but you're the reason I stayed.'

Sarah concentrated on their entwined fingers. 'We have fewer days in front of us than are behind.'

'You don't know that!' He stood up abruptly, dropping her hand. His voice softened. 'No one does.' He began to pace back and forth before finally coming to a stop and kneeling in front of her. 'Even if I regenerated tomorrow, we don't know what would happen next. However, I can promise you this, my feelings for you will never change.' His small smile grew. 'My other self is on his eleventh body, and as transparent as a schoolboy. His feelings for you are just as strong as they ever were.' He leaned in and kissed her. 'Except he doesn't get to call you his wife. I do. That's why he was so jealous.'

Sarah playfully swatted him on the arm. 'You just loved rubbing it in, didn't you.'

He stood up and crossed to his side of the bed. 'He's an idiot.'

'And he probably said the same about you.'

'Probably.' He fluffed the pillows before settling down and changing topics. 'You know, I don't like any of this.'

Sarah climbed into bed beside him. 'What do you mean?'

'That rift. After all this time, it's only now that I've started pulling energy from it every couple of weeks that the fluctuations are spiking enough to cause damage to this time stream.'

'You think the energy you're pulling from it caused Andy's slide?'

'I don't have a better answer at the moment. And we can't risk it happening again.' He reached out and pulled Sarah towards him before continuing, his voice soft. 'Until there's a safer solution, I'm not going to use it.'

'That means,' Sarah started, 'you just said,' but she couldn't put words to the rest of the thought. Instead, she just put her head down on the Doctor's chest and wrapped her arms around him.

He kissed the top of her head. 'I can't put Andrea in any more danger. She lives and works in Cardiff. She's the first in line when something like this happens. I won't risk her.'

'No, of course not,' Sarah admitted softly. 'Neither of us want to put her in harm's way.'

'We'll find another way for me to get the energy. I have Luke helping me work up the schematics for something new now, and once Andrea's fully recovered, I'll set her on it too. Don't worry, Sarah, I'm not going to give up.' He tightened his arms around her. 'I want to make sure my other self stays jealous for as long as possible.'

Sarah shifted when she felt eyes watching them. She lifted her head up and saw Andy standing in the doorway. 'What's wrong?' she asked.

Andy shrugged. 'Nothing, I guess.' She sighed. 'I dunno. It's weird, but maybe I'm just reassuring myself that you're here. That I'm here. Home.'

Sarah and the Doctor both sat up. Sarah reached out and patted a spot on the edge of the bed next to her. 'Come sit down.' When Andy sat down, Sarah put her arm around her daughter's shoulder.

The Doctor reached out and squeezed Andy's hand, holding it tightly in his. 'This is always home, Andrea, no matter how old you get or where you decide to fly off to in the future. We'll always be here for you.'

Andy reached out and wrapped her arms around both her parents, relishing their embrace in a quiet family moment. Sarah gently reached up and stroked Andy's hair, knowing these moments were too few and too far between as time passed. Finally after quite some time, Andy sat up. 'I guess I should try to get some sleep, huh?'

The Doctor nodded. 'I'm sure it won't be long before your UNIT superiors are demanding a full report on what happened.'

Andy frowned. 'Great,' she said sarcastically. 'Way to be a downer, Dad.' The Doctor just smiled in response. Andy stood up. 'About the rift, I've been thinking,' she started.

'Scoot,' Sarah stopped her, patting her backside then making shooing motions towards the door. 'We'll discuss it in the morning. It's been a very long couple of weeks and we can all use a good night's sleep.'

Andy leaned in and gave each of her parents a kiss on the cheek before heading out. She stopped in the door. 'Good night. Love you.'

'Love you too, sweetheart,' Sarah smiled.

With a nod, the Doctor added, 'Sleep well, Andrea.'

Once Andy left, Sarah relaxed back into the Doctor's embrace. After several quiet minutes, Sarah whispered. 'Something feels different, doesn't it?'

'I thought it was just me,' the Doctor admitted. 'It's probably nothing.' He lifted Sarah's chin up for a quick kiss. 'We're both probably still out of sorts with all that quantum energy flying about. I'm sure we'll feel better in the morning as things continue to settle down.'

'I'm sure you're right,' Sarah said softly, even as sleep began to overtake her. The Doctor felt her breathing even out, and with a small smile, soon followed her to sleep.

An hour later, neither one of them awoke or stirred from their embrace as a golden glow began to emanate from the Doctor's hands. It worked its way across his features, then wrapped around not just him, but Sarah as well. The glow warmed them, working its energy through the very fabric of both of them, weaving its magic, with results neither one of them could possibly expect.

THE END

_Author's Note: A huge thank you goes out to everyone who read and especially to those lovely people who took time out of their hectic schedules to leave reviews, not just on this story, but on all the others I've written. They are precious like gold - I keep and treasure every single one of them, no matter how small. I've looked at them often, especially when I've needed inspiration. _

_However, it's time for me to take a bit of a break. I'm sure that now that I've officially said it, ideas will start pounding my brain and I won't be able to stop until I put them down on paper. Normally, even if you don't see me posting, I'm writing something that pops up from time to time. Why, even now, there are unfinished ideas that literally have thousands of words already written. Will those make it to your eyes? I can't promise. The only thing I can promise is that I'll be around. I'd start the whole "One day I shall come back" speech, but that's a bit much, don't you think?_

_Words can't adequately describe it, so the only thing I can say is again, from the bottom of my heart – THANK YOU! :-)_


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